Places I Crave

Claire Bostock

@clairebostock_mcr

5Items

If we’ve ever bumped into each other in Chorlton or the NQ, I’ve probably said “oh my days, you HAVE to try this place” within about five minutes 😂 This is my current little hit list of spots I actually go back to again and again – from fancy-treat Mana nights in Ancoats to a quick Rudy’s after work or small plates before a gig on Oxford Road. All proper lush, all tried-and-tested, and all very, very Manchester (in the best way).

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The list

Showing 1–5 of 5

Places I Crave — 5 items
Name	Cuisine	Vibe	Must-order dish	Price level	Good for	Neighbourhood	Address	City	My take
1Hawksmoor Manchester	Steak and classic British	Grown-up, moody lighting, special-occasion feels	Sunday roast or a big sharing rib-eye with beef-dripping fries	£££	Anniversaries, parents in town, long boozy lunches	Deansgate	184–186 Deansgate, Manchester M3 3WB	Manchester	If I ever win the lottery I’m basically moving in here every Sunday – the roast is outrageous, and the cocktails are so sound.
5Erst	Seasonal small plates, natural wine	Scandi-minimal, quietly cool, very Ancoats	Whatever flatbread they’re doing and the anchovy toast	£££	Wine-y date nights, foodie mates, slow evenings	Ancoats	9 Murray Street, Manchester M4 6HS	Manchester	One of those places where you swear you’ll just have “a couple of plates” and then you’re four glasses deep and ordering dessert.
6Mana	Modern British tasting menu	Slick, open kitchen theatre, proper treat-yourself	Just commit to the full tasting – trust the process	££££	Big celebrations, food-nerd dates, bucket-list nights	Ancoats	42 Blossom Street, Ancoats, Manchester M4 6BF	Manchester	Not an every-week spot, obviously, but when you want to feel like you’re in a city that really knows food, this is the one.
7El Gato Negro	Spanish tapas	Buzzy townhouse, bar downstairs, cosy upstairs	Ox cheek meatballs and the truffle-topped tortilla	£££	Sharing with a gang, date nights, long graze-y dinners	King Street	52 King Street, Manchester M2 4LY	Manchester	I always over-order here and regret nothing – it’s very ‘one more little plate, go on then’ energy.
9Street Urchin	Seafood-focused British small plates	Relaxed, neighbourhood-y, scribbled chalkboard menus	Whatever whole fish or seafood special they’ve chalked up	££	Cosy dinners, date night without the drama, solo bar perch	Great Ancoats Street / NQ edge	72 Great Ancoats Street, Manchester M4 5BG	Manchester	Feels a bit like your mate’s dream restaurant – unfussy, warm, and the sort of fish dishes that ruin supermarket salmon for you forever.